Deadly 7.4 Earthquake Topples Buildings Across Western Colombia

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked western Colom…

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked western Colombia on Monday, causing widespread devastation as buildings crumbled in several cities and the death toll climbed past 70, with many more feared trapped beneath the debris.

Dramatic cellphone footage captured the moment a multi-story structure gave way, collapsing in a cloud of dust as bystanders screamed. Colombia's geological service recorded the quake at a shallow depth of 96 kilometers, striking at 7:34 a.m. local time. The U.S. tsunami warning system confirmed there was no tsunami risk.

In Pereira, a key city in Colombia's coffee region, Mayor Mauricio Salazar confirmed 18 fatalities, while neighboring Manizales reported three deaths. The Pacific port city of Buenaventura saw one person killed when a building collapsed, trapping several others, according to Mayor Ligia del Carmen Cordoba.

The hardest-hit urban area appeared to be Cali

The hardest-hit urban area appeared to be Cali, one of Colombia's largest cities, where more than two dozen structures collapsed. Mayor Alejandro Eder told local radio that rescue teams had already pulled two survivors from the rubble—an elderly woman and a young girl—but warned that others remained trapped. "We have at least 12 critical points and 25 collapsed structures that we are responding to," he said, adding that he had requested emergency assistance from Bogota and Medellin.

The epicenter was located near San Jose del Palmar in the sparsely populated Pacific province of Choco, where Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi reported injuries and significant damage in the capital, Quibdo, and cautioned residents about possible aftershocks. Colombia's civil aviation authority suspended flights at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura pending structural inspections.

The national disaster agency said the quake was felt across nine departments and all 32 provincial capitals, triggering evacuations and property damage reports. The tremor also reached neighboring Venezuela, with witnesses in the border state of Tachira and the city of Barquisimeto confirming they felt the ground shake. This latest disaster comes as Colombia continues to recover from a series of natural calamities that have strained emergency services.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity on social media, stating, "The Trump Administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia." He advised American citizens in the region to enroll at STEP.State.gov and follow the U.S. Embassy in Bogota's updates. Rescue operations remain ongoing as authorities race against time to locate survivors.